The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-04-16
ARiver Story.

! a River Story.
]. was fain 10 supplement my income
pending the time when my learning, elo-
quencc, and acute instructive grasp Of
difficult. cases in all their bearings should
have brought host Of clients 10 my feet
with such literary work as could OBJ
tain. n .a
Having an uncle an editor and two col
lego friends successful journalists, my ef-
forts were not doomed to that disappoint-
mcnt which awaits the vast majority Of
young men and women who arc tempted
by some early magazine acceptance 10
engage in that great, ncycr-cnding COM
petitiyc examination, comprised in the
endeayor 10 earn living out Of periodi-
cal literature, and I got as much occupa-
ton for my pen as I could perform with
out neglectlng my legal studies and pros.
poets. Among other pickings I received
guinea week for IN article in the
Bank Rereu. 0stcnsibly it was the re-
view Of book, but in reality the said
book was the excuse or text for IN essay
which was intended 10 be witty, but was
too often, I fear, merely flippant.
II do not care for dull account of the
book you review; all l want is paper"
said the editor. And did my best.
One Of my most face.lous papers, re-
member, was written apropos Of little
volume Of poems issued in the orthodox
green cover, and entitled Echoes of the
Heart" by Dora" l did not take the
trouble to read them, but just dipped in
here and there, without even cutting the
leaves, to get points for funny copy" I
found one couplet, for example, in which
girl was made to rhyme with curl,whcre-
upon I spclt girl gurl throughout the ar
ticlc. called "Dora" a CURL, drew an
imaginary picture Of her US a gushing
young thing Of fifty, with speciaclcs and
an ink-staiued thumb, and suggested tina.
her proper occupation was the artistic
cooking of Sleeps heart rather than
writing nonsense about the echoes OF her
own. inquired how heart can have
an echo, and insinuatcd that the CURL Of
the echoing heart must be n ycn,riloquist
with great deal more tlippant stuff Of
the same kind, winding up with IN af-
fcctcdly serious dia,ribe against poe,as,-
ers of both sexes, and the publishers who
print their cfEusions-ad isgraceful article
which was exactly to the taste of the nil
admirari class, from which the readers of
the Bank Rcritm were principally re.
cruited.
1t was during this early period of my
career, and a. the season when New York
Is dullest, that | met my old college
friend Sinclair in Broadway and natur.
ally asked what brought him to town in
the autumn
Il have been ordering a dog cart" he
replied; but why are not you out for n
holiday"
II have nowhere particular 10 90 to
and no one to 20 with me. As has been
often said, New York when empty has
more people in 1t than any other place
lias when full" said |. "Besidcs,i If went
out, / should be paying for my empty
chambers all the time, as well us for my
temporary lodgings
"Ay, ny; but still, a breath of country
air does man n world OF good. And
you can afford 1t; you hnyc mn.le n start,
and expect the two ends meet, ch:"
Yes; bnt am waiting till they over
lap before | indulge in luxurics."
Look here, said Sinclair, after a
pause, ~ wish you would come back
With me 10 Aiicham this evening""
you live ut Ai,cham nowy"
"ics, have taken furnished house
there till tho end of September. Rather
a pretty place on tho banks of the lIul-
son; lawn sloping to the edge OF the
tEer; perch and pike, they say have
ever caught any; boat.housc, md MI
hat. My wife took fancy to the place
nd 1t is just the same to me rs any 9th
Wtil the hunting begins"
us II far?"
"0h, no, only IN hours ride. It Is
GOT any compliment to ask you, I own,
for We arc monstrous dull. But you have
rs good rs owned TINT you have nothing
to keep you in New York, and It would
be very good.naiurcd If you would come
and take IN oar"
.."Takc an oar?"
eyes; nm rather tired of scuIling
those two about every afternoon by my.
self. Some Of the girls in the ncighbor.
hood have taken to rowing themselves,
and letting their husbands, brothers, &c.,
steer, but my wOmcn.folk don't SCI m 10
see IT,"
"iou speak II the plural"
"ics; my wife, you know, must have
some one to speak to-"
"She has you -"
"Pooh Il Is easy to see that YOU have
no experience. Why, we have been mar.
rled nearly two ycnrsl | cant Ink of
furbclows, and my wife can't talk Of
bunting. She wants another woman TO
talk to, md so Miss Filmcr Is staying
with lis. And want MN 10 Talk 10,
and you will be he, won, you; There
IL a quiet little room opening oui inc
tho garden, where you shall do any
reading or writing you want. undisiurhcd,
all the morning. Come"
lie led nc 10 my chambers. made me
pick my portmnntcnu, md had me down
to tho station and In railway carriage
almost before had quite made up my
mind whether l would 80 or not,
you have not forgotten how TO row,
have syou he asked, as wc rushed
through tho country.
|. i3fs No, j fancy not but Tn not In tho